World Bank launches Human Capital Index

Human capital consists of the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate throughout their lives, enabling them to realize their potential as productive members of society. The World Bank believes that extreme poverty can be ended and more inclusive societies can be created by developing human capital. This requires investing in people through nutrition, health care, quality education, jobs and skills.

The World Bank project is underway, with a new Human Capital Index launched on the 11th October 2018, and close to 30 pilot countries are currently working with the World Bank Group on strategic approaches to transform their human capital outcomes.

The Human Capital Index quantifies the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Countries can use it to assess how much income they are foregoing because of human capital gaps, and how much faster they can turn these losses into gains if they act now. The index is explained in The Human Capital Project Booklet downloadable at:

The World Bank asserts that credible measurement of education and health outcomes is critical locally, nationally, and globally. Within countries, measurement leads to insights into what works and where to target resources. It also increases policy makers’ awareness of the importance of investing in human capital, creating momentum for action. Globally, comprehensive measurement sheds light on the differences between countries, and spurs demand for investments in people.

The state of Human Capital in the Mauritius according to the Index:

Productivity. A child born in Mauritius today will be 63 percent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full health.

Probability of Survival to Age 5. 99 out of 100 children born in Mauritius survive to age 5..

Expected Years of School. In Mauritius, a child who starts school at age 4 can expect to complete 12.5 years of school by her 18th birthday.

Learning-adjusted Years of School. Factoring in what children actually learn, expected years of school is only 9.5 years.

Adult Survival Rate. Across Mauritius, 86 percent of 15- year olds will survive until age 60. This statistic is a proxy for the range of fatal and non-fatal health outcomes that a child born today would experience as an adult under current conditions.

Between 2012 and 2017, the HCI value for Mauritius increased from 0.57 to 0.63.

In 2017, Mauritius’ HCI is higher than the average for its region and income group.